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Off the Wall: 9 Clever Ways to Ease Into Wallpaper
Not ready for a roomful of wallpaper? Try a little on a door, stairway or chest of drawers
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More »
I realize there are still people who associate wallpaper with the Brady Bunch. But, the wallpaper revolution is in full swing, and the thousands of fresh, modern designs are showing up all over the place. Wallpaper is to the 21st century what the painted accent wall was to the '90s. But maybe you're a commitment-phobe. Or maybe you rent. Not to worry. You too can be on-trend. Here are nine ways to ease you into pattern, whimsy, and color. Relax, this won't hurt a bit.
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by Tamar Schechner
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| This patchwork door seems to have been created entirely from wallpaper samples. It's like Little House on the Prairie meets Etsy DIYer. With a little victoriana mixed in for good measure. If you're afraid of wallpaper paste, use a good double-stick tape. It's strong enough to hold up the individual panels. |
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| I know art students shudder when told their masterpieces look like wallpaper. But you could do a lot worse. Large framed panels create a clean, symmetrical backdrop. And if you get tired of it, you can always switch patterns. |
by Vanillawood
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Putting Cole & Sons modern-classic Woods wallpaper on the kick plates give this staircase an etherial feel, as if you're just floating up to bed.
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| If you really want to make that secondhand dresser you bought look spiffy, go a step further than a coat of paint. Cover the drawers in wallpaper and, for heaven's sake, splurge on some nice pulls. |
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| The good news is: you don't have to cut them out yourself. You can order a variety of animals in a variety of patterns. What child wouldn't want a wallpaper menagerie migrating through their bedroom? |
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by Allison Cosmos
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| Ok, so this was created with paint. But there is no reason you couldn't produce a similar effect with wallpaper. You'll just want to stick to an interior door. |
By papering only the chimney area the designer emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the room. It gives the whole room texture. And it removes any bit of Wild West that skull might have thought about bringing into the mix.
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If my fantasy life can include a craft nook, it can also include a beautiful wallpapered craft nook. This helps demarcate a tiny space. Plus, it's just really pretty.
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This Etsy lampshade was made from a map (and someone with a lot of time). You could easily recreate it with wallpaper scraps. "Easily" is a relative term here.
More: Wallpaper Goes Mobile
Framing Wallpaper
More uses of wallpaper in interior design
Find: Wallpapers in the Products section
More: Wallpaper Goes Mobile
Framing Wallpaper
More uses of wallpaper in interior design
Find: Wallpapers in the Products section
Ideabook updated on Feb. 8, 2012.
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idea for th craft nook... could easily be used as a little study or dresser (to hide away all those perfume bottles, jewellery and makeup!.... oooh or a shoes closet.....
i wonder how much wallppr is required to do this? would one roll be enough?
TIP: any leftover wallpaper you could use as gift wrapping paper. it's beautiful, (durable for big presents!) and much cheaper than the rubbish gift wrapping paper you find these days.
have you considered contacting a 'wall art' company? They print almost any photo design or pattern onto readymade wallppr for you....
prob a bit expensive and timeconsuming if you're decorating a dresser, but if you want your fireplace feature wall, might just do the trick- and you can unleash your creative licence!
A similar look could certainly be achieved with wallpaper.
@ storklady-we have black and white designs that may be of interest to you (Flower Power, Birds & Birch and Karen Robertson Stripes, to name a few) and are about ready to unveil 2 new designs with Black and White patterns
It has nothing to do with fearing the paste. I fear what the paste brings into my home. Wallpaper paste (and contact paper paste is even worse) attracts ROACHES and is a breeding ground for their eggs. If you ever end up with a neighbor that has them, you'll end up with them, too, along with the horrendous expense of getting rid of them (which can occasionally prove nearly impossible).
I ALWAYS recommend against using wallpaper or, if they are determined, to use other means of sticking it up that do not include the pre-applied paste. I sincerely hope this "revolution" of wallpaper doesn't set off an epidemic of roach infestations that we then can't get rid of.....